The Village Voice newspaper shutters its print edition
NEW YORK -- The Village Voice, the famed alternative weekly that's been in print for decades, is going online only.
Owner Peter Barbey announced the change on Tuesday.
He said in a statement that the paper, founded more than 60 years ago, "has been a beacon for progress and a literal voice for thousands of people whose identities, opinions and ideas might otherwise have been unheard." Barbey said he expects that to continue, with reporting and stories posted on its website.
The Village Voice, which has won multiple Pulitzer Prizes, was the country's first alternative newsweekly. It has been celebrated for its arts and culture coverage and its investigations, jump-starting the careers of scores of journalists.
The paper's website last had 1.3 million unique monthly visitors, according to The Hollywood Reporter, although its audience numbers fluctuate greatly.
Barbey bought the paper in October 2015. He's the president and CEO of The Reading Eagle newspaper in Pennsylvania.
"The most powerful thing about The Voice wasn't that it was printed on newsprint or that it came out every week," Barbey said in a statement. "It was that The Village Voice was alive, and that it changed in step with and reflected the times and the ever-evolving world around it.
"I want The Village Voice brand to represent that for a new generation of people -- and for generations to come."